Wanted—?

About the book

Ware's Kid rides into Dallas under orders concerning Dell Spreen, a man wanted for the murder and robbery of rancher Eph Carson. The official reconstruction seems clear: Spreen knew Carson would be carrying money, disappeared from the ranch, and apparently waited behind a rock wall to ambush him. Yet the Ranger's task requires more than repeating that account. Encounters on the trail and the physical circumstances of the shooting complicate the identity of the man he is hunting and the meaning of his duty. Cunningham combines frontier action with an investigation in which small details must survive comparison with persuasive testimony. The youthful officer's reputation for toughness is tested by a case that demands judgment as well as courage and skill with a gun.

• Evidence and accusation
• Duty and judgment
• Frontier violence

Why read it

The reconstruction of the ambush gives the pursuit a tangible puzzle rather than relying only on a chase.

English story from Frontier Stories, May 1927